MINNI MINNAWI

Minnawi was the only one of three rebel leaders to sign the May 2006 accord with the government of Sudan.

Worse, the most serious violence no longer comes from the Arab janjaweed militias armed by the government of Sudan, which the Bush administration has accused of genocide, but from the rebels themselves, including members of Minnawi's own faction of the Sudan Liberation Army.

Relations between Minnawi's group and African Union peacekeepers are badly strained.

But he blamed much of the insecurity in Darfur on others within the rebel movement, which has split into at least 16 different factions as rival commanders grow disenchanted with prospects for peace.

Those groups say that the 2006 agreement was fatally flawed, offering too little compensation for war victims and no guarantee that the perpetrators of the worst atrocities — the government-backed janjaweed — would be disarmed.

led by then-U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick, who were eager for a deal after months of negotiations.

"I think he feels really frustrated," said a Western diplomat who requested anonymity because he wasn't authorized to speak publicly. "He's sitting in Khartoum, he's not in control of the political process and he's not in control of his forces on the ground."

As a member of the minority Zaghawa ethnic group, Minnawi is regarded with deep skepticism by the larger Fur group.

the international community has failed to pressure Sudan to implement its terms, including providing money to rebuild Darfur.